Writing Resilience
Resilience is…
“…an ability to recover from or adjust easily to misfortune or change.” Merriam-Webster
“…the capacity to withstand or to recover quickly from difficulties; toughness.” Oxford Languages
How kidlit can help children become resilient
By creating and choosing developmentally appropriate kidlit, we can provide children with a foundation to weather the adversities of life. Often referred to as "protective factors,” the following traits or behaviors provide a “jumping off point” for family, educators, and other adults to engage children and adolescents in recognizing, discussing, modeling, and cultivating them.
Adaptability
The ability to adjust and accept change and setbacks and learn from experiences.
Check out this article to learn more about temperament and personality traits.
Picture books that address adaptability: The Dot (Peter Reynolds), After The Fall (Dan Santat), Pug Meets Pig (Sue Gallion), Little Tree (Loren Long), The Koala Who Could (Rachel Bright), Dreamers (Yuyi Morales).
Problem-Solving Focus
The ability to channel energy into finding solutions without dwelling on difficulties.
Check out this article to learn more about encouraging a problem-solving focus.
Picture books that incorporate problem-solving: Rosie Revere, Engineer and Ada Twist, Scientist (Andrea Beaty), Elephant Island (Leo Timmers), Mary Had a Little Lab (Sue Fleiss), Stuck (Oliver Jeffers).
Strong Support System
The ability to cultivate connections with people who offer support.
Check out this research abstract that summarizes a meta-analysis of support systems and the difference between social and perceived support, and then, see why it is important.
Picture books that "lean" into the beauty of social support: The Rabbit Listened (Cori Doerrfeld), The Mitten Tree (Candace Christiansen), Tow Truck Joe (June Sobel), The Most Magnificent Thing (Ashley Spires), Jabari Tries (Gaia Cornwall), Bear and Bird: Try, Try Again (Jonny Lambert), Little Blue Truck series (Alice Schertle).
Positive Outlook
The ability to remain hopeful and focus on positives, while acknowledging negative feelings.
Check out this study from Stanford University that links positivity with academic achievement and problem-solving.
Picture books that are positively inspiring: Evelyn Del Rey Is Moving Away (Meg Medina), I Am Enough (Grace Byers), The Magical Yet (Angela DiTerlizzi), Spin (Rebecca Janni), Pete the Cat and His Magic Sunglasses (James Dean).
Self-awareness
The ability to understand and express feelings and advocate for help.
Check out this article about nurturing self-awareness, and another website that shares resources for self-awareness and self-management.
Picture books that have themes of self-awareness: Sometimes I’m Bombaloo (Rachel Vail and Yumi Heo), The Good Egg (Jory John), The Pigeon Wants a Puppy (Mo Willems), Spoon (Amy Krouse Rosenthal).
Sense of Purpose (self-direction)
The ability to identify a strong inner drive that helps children persevere.
Check out this article about the benefits of self-direction in play.
Picture books that celebrate independent thinkers: Giraffes Can’t Dance (Giles Andreae), My Heart Is a Compass (Deborah Marcero), Stand Tall, Molly Lou Melon (Patty Lovell), What Can You Do With an Idea? (Kobi Yamada).
Child Development Hub
To help myself and other writers, the summarized information is intended to guide us as we create characters and their traits, dialogue that sounds authentic, and story arcs or concepts that resonate at different developmental stages.
On this site, companion pages cover cognitive development (Piaget), speech and language milestones, moral development (Kohlberg), and preschool play. Use them together as a writer’s desk reference and a source of inspiration.